An electrical power center for marinas can basically be described as a power receptacle contained within an enclosure which is attached to an upstanding post. The same power center is referred to as a "power pedestal" wherein the power receptacle enclosure is self-supporting. The power pedestal usually includes a light, electric meters, power receptacles, telephone and television connectors and a water faucet.
The combination of a light source mounted on top of a power center is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,341,268. When the power center is opened to make the electrical connection, the cover to the power center blocks the light from the interior making the power connection difficult in the absence of ambient illumination.
A simplified light pedestal consisting of a light source enclosure on a free-standing support is usually employed to provide marina illumination in those areas that are remote from the boat anchorage site.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,418 describes a lighted power pedestal in which the cover is provided with a sloping lens to downwardly direct the light and thereby provide "stumble" lighting to the dock area in the immediate area.
U.S. design patent application Ser. No. 235,578 filed Aug. 24, 1988, describes a prismatic lens arrangement for distributing the light over a wide area rather than directing the light in a downward direction.
A free-standing lighted power pedestal is described within U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,657 wherein a plurality of plastic components are assembled to provide a power pedestal enclosure that includes electric metering, telephone and television cable hook-ups, a water faucet along with the standard electric power receptacles.
Although such completely plastic power pedestals have been commercially available for some time, the high cost involved with molding the large sized plastic enclosure components has prevented such self-contained plastic pedestals from being commercially successful. This is especially true, when a wide variation of options are desired for different marina applications. The difficulty in fabricating a corresponding variety of plastic power pedestal enclosures has further hindered the commercial success of existing plastic power pedestal designs.
One purpose of the instant invention is to provide an economical plastic power pedestal design having modular facility whereby several optional design features can be achieved by either factory or on-site assembly.